| Subject: | Uncomfortable taking off my garments |
| Date: | Nov 22, 2007 |
| Author: | CDN Mike |
| So, my wife and I are in agreement that the church is not real, we both continue to attend sporadically for culutural reasons, but do not hold ourselves accountable to the church leaders or its doctrines. However, I am having a hard time going out and buying normal underwear. The thought makes me uncomfortable, but I can't figure out why I am so uncomfortable about the whole issue. I am ok with not going to church, drinking beer, and my wife not wearing them, but I am having a very hard time making the change...Any insights or has anyone else felt the same way? |
| Subject: | Re: Uncomfortable taking off my garments |
| Date: | Nov 22 20:23 |
| Author: | Anon |
| I'm not a Mormon and find the whole magic underwear thing a mixture of odd and amusing... |
| Subject: | So, Mike, if you are uncomfortable.. |
| Date: | Nov 22 20:35 |
| Author: | Skunk Puppet |
| then continue wearing them. I do find it odd that anyone who has come to the conclusions that you have that the church is not "troo" would continue to wear undergarments designed by a secret adulterer to mark his cohorts. |
| Subject: | I think most of us go through that..... |
| Date: | Nov 22 20:43 |
| Author: | Randy J. |
| ...because of the vows we made to never remove them.
It's one of those habits you've trained yourself to keep, and you'll just
have to break yourself of it over time. A similar habit was when I first
came home from my mission, feeling like I was breaking the "mission rules"
whenever I drove outside of my ward boundaries without first asking for
permission. You just have to "deprogram" yourself. Keep in mind that they're *only* underwear, after all. They're just ordinary cloth with silly marks on them. You paid for them, and you can keep wearing them until you're over it. If you feel "naked" without them, you might consider wearing thermal underwear in cold seasons, if you're able to. You might also want to try knit boxer shorts. Their flexibility and comfort are similar to garment bottoms. |
| Subject: | Re: Uncomfortable taking off my garments |
| Date: | Nov 22 20:50 |
| Author: | mushinja |
| Mike, I think what you are feeling is quite common. I
wore garments every day for around twenty years, and they had become a part
of me. I remember the first time I bought normal underwear, it took three
trips to the department store before I actually bought any. What style? What
color? Open fly or closed? (I can't believe I'm writing this) The first time I wore regular underwear I felt naked and exposed, but over time it began to feel very liberating. I would sometimes wear garments when I was around TBM family and such, but it became very uncomfortable, and eventually I just stopped. Maybe you should have your wife buy you a set, and you could wear them around the house for a day. After a while it won't be a big deal. |
| Subject: | Re: uncomfortable taking them off . . . let me help you n/t |
| Date: | Nov 22 21:17 |
| Author: | Christy219 |
| The fact that you feel so freaked out about it speaks
volumes about the scare tactics used to brainwash you into wearing them in
the first place. I remember listening to the matronly woman in temple who
first instructed me on the wearing of garments. She told me to not even let
them touch the floor. That kind of paranoia struck me as crazy even then. I
think that it says a lot about the methods used in the church to promote the
members to stay: fear. That rings out and shouts CULT and it should give you
the incentive you need to start distancing yourself from the notion of
wearing them. I know it's not easy...I've been there. After a few days of
not wearing them you'll be surprised at how silly it seem to you to think
about putting them back on. |
| Subject: | Another layer of brainwashing to overcome... but this one's kinda easy... |
| Date: | Nov 22 21:25 |
| Author: | Deborah |
| ... Just take them off. Maybe before going to sleep
one night. Just take them off... and see if either one of you is struck by
lightning. If it really spooks you, put them back on, then imagine your worst-case scenario reason for keeping them on. Take it all the way to the end. Then ask if you're sure the garments will protect you? Really protect you... Look at how many mormons are killed in traffic accidents every day. Or get sick. Have affairs. Are chronically depressed. Are unkind towards each other. Does wearing the garments make them better people? No, it makes most of them kinda stuck up about being on the "inside" looking out. Do they keep them safer? No. They really don't. Miracles happen to non-mormons all the time... mormons don't have the exclusive on miracles despite them wanting us all to believe that they do. |
| Subject: | Who says you have to stop wearing garments? |
| Date: | Nov 22 21:57 |
| Author: | Ms. Hanes |
| Why do you have to take them off??? If you're more comfortable wearing them, why not continue wearing them until you're ready to make the change? What's the rush? |
| Subject: | Garments |
| Date: | Nov 22 23:17 |
| Author: | notamo |
| I'm nevermo but have seen a few of the faith promoting
rumors re garments. I love the ones about bodies found after accidents,
plane crashes etc where the part of the body covered by the garments is
unharmed. The person is still dead , of course, just the garments were
untouched. I wonder why it doesn't occur to any TBM that the only thing the garment protected was the garment itself. |
| Subject: | Re: Garments |
| Date: | Nov 22 23:27 |
| Author: | AZEvilSingleGuy |
| I always thought that was funny and that people took
that way to literal. I joked to myself that if the plane was ever going down
I was just going to pull the angel gammies up over my head... "Heh, heh, heh. I am mormonholeo! R U threatening me?" |
| Subject: | Re: Uncomfortable taking off my garments |
| Date: | Nov 22 23:21 |
| Author: | AZEvilSingleGuy |
| Here is why I felt so bad when I stopped wearing them
(which lasted a few months)... Because these stupid underwear are a part of your life and they represent to you a piece of who you are-- your identity. This may not mean teachings of the church (probably not). It is whatever meaning you have assigned to them-- your memories. Taking them off leaves you with an identity crisis. It is not unlike a retiring police or military officer. Every morning while active duty they get up and put on "the uniform". When they retire, it is hard for some of them to get up and dress in "civies". They become depressed over it. Some detectives have been known to put on the same dutystyle clothes, gun, and even old badge holder years into retirement. Some military guys will go out and get a tattoo "USMC", etc. They need something to reinforce who they are as the uniform they wore is gone. This also happened when I returned from my mission. I HATED my mission and was so happy when it was over, but I had grown accustomed to the nametag-- it was literally an identity badge. I can't tell you how weird it felt to not have on a name tag. Ditching the slacks and tie did not bother me much, but no name tag-- that bothered me. This did not go away until I got a job-- a new identity so to speak. All I can say is try lots of different kinds of undies. Wear them when you feel like it, and wear the garmies when you feel like it. I did this while still in the church. When I stopped going, I stopped wearing the garmies at all. I can't stand to put them on now-- they are so damn hot here in AZ. They were never comfortable, even to sleep in. |
| Subject: | I think you hit it on the head |
| Date: | Nov 23 00:09 |
| Author: | CDN Mike |
| I appreciate your take on the issue, your right, it is a way I have identified myself for all these years, so it is tough to change. It is nice to hear from people who have had the same issues, as it helps me feel a little less crazy. I appreciate it! |
| Subject: | My DH [dear husband] continued to wear his until. . . |
| Date: | Nov 23 00:21 |
| Author: | Undercover Anon |
| they were worn out, baggy, and beyond repair. Then we went underwear shopping!! He found a style that suits him, bought several pairs, and the garmies went bye-bye. Most of us who have made this transition got over it pretty quickly. |
| Subject: | Taking the garments off is such a wonderful relief .... |
| Date: | Nov 23 01:08 |
| Author: | JBug |
| And such freedom! Once you get used to the comfort and freedom of "normal" underwear, you won't remember why you ever wore anything else!!! |
| Subject: | We are still going throught the same thing... |
| Date: | Nov 23 01:33 |
| Author: | anon |
| We know they don't protect us. We wear them sometimes,
sometimes not. I have tried to take the marks off but it is too much of a
hassle. I have thrown out DH ones that are bad. But didn't remove the marks!
That was liberating. I wear them when I am around TBMers that I am not ready
to come out of the closet to yet, incl. some family. Give yourself time to get deprogrammed. you are not alone on this one. |
| Subject: | Well, I've never worn garments |
| Date: | Nov 23 08:13 |
| Author: | munchybotaz |
| but I've seen enough people, including my own parents,
who keep wearing them for years and deny it's because they're afraid to take
them off. "Oh, I just got used to them." "I'd feel naked without them." "They're really quite comfortable." "They keep me warm in the winter." Fear, fear, fear, and fear. Dude, it's underwear - designed, as Skunk Puppet pointed out, by a 19th century con man to mark his cohorts. It couldn't be something like, say, a vest or a lapel pin that people would feel comfortable asking about. "Here, put these on ... and don't take them off, because bad things will happen to you. Oh, and by the way, keep your mouth shut." As Christy said, you've been brainwashed - by a bunch of old men who want to control your underwear, to increase the chance that you'll always pay your tithing. And keep your mouth shut. They've gotten into in your pants, basically. It's wrong. It's weird as hell. Take the garments off. Remember when you didn't wear them? It'll be like that, only better. |
| Subject: | I felt that way briefly... |
| Date: | Nov 23 09:58 |
| Author: | othersteve |
| I think I was just so used to them. I wore them for
almost 20 years. They were kind of like a comfortable blanket. You can find regular underwear in a similar style and fabric. I wore undershirts too, at first. Now I only wear them when I need to wear a dress shirt. |
| Subject: | No hurry. |
| Date: | Nov 23 10:02 |
| Author: | Makurosu |
| It was kind of a toughie for me too. Then I made a
week long trip and forgot to pack any underwear, and I was forced to buy the
regular kind. Oh well! Eventually they'll wear out and you'll be forced to make a decision, but chances are you'll be over it by then. |
| Subject: | Funny |
| Date: | Nov 23 10:55 |
| Author: | jacyn |
| I'm not even "out" yet but after months of doubt and
CD, my underwear suddenly seemed so stupid. And ugly. Maybe it's easier for
women to let it go because real underwear is so much more feminine and
pretty. Unlike garments, real underwear doesn't cover up (as if in shame) an
important aspect of our identity. Real underwear enhances our femininity.
Real underwear feels better than garments. By far!!! Garments remind me of
that cartoon where both an old man and his wife are topless, and you can't
tell which is which. Although I have to confess, when I threw some of my old underwear out the other day, I found myself cutting out the marks ... Sheesh. Someday, this too shall pass ... |
| Subject: | Not brainwashed? |
| Date: | Nov 23 13:52 |
| Author: | bull |
| This is one of those moments when you realize just how
completely and deeply you have been brainwashed. Not only you, but also all
the Mormons around you. It was such an incredibly big step for me to stop wearing the garments. Here I was, 40 years old and shopping for underwear for the first time. I was not only uncomfortable about taking the garments off, but I had no idea what kind of underwear to buy? Boxers or briefs? What brand? What if a member of the church comes through the mall and sees me shopping for regular underwear? I actually bought my first set while out of town on a business trip. At first I would wear them to work and then secretly change back into the Gs when I got home so my wife wouldn't discover the treachery. I always hated wearing garments because I found them incredibly uncomfortable and I love the feeling of wearing regular briefs. It was a huge deal when my wife found out. My mother went to the length of doing our laundry last time she visited so she could see who was wearing what kind of underwear. It didn't register until I was talking to my sister and she told me my mom did the same thing and then confronted her about not wearing garments. My sister told her she no longer believed and then my mother asked her if she could continue wearing her garments anyway. It is the ultimate symbol of conditioning in the church. |
| Subject: | Re: Uncomfortable taking off my garments |
| Date: | Nov 23 14:58 |
| Author: | julecakes |
| About a year before I discovered TSCC was a hoax, I
was on hospital bed-rest for almost 2 weeks before I had my baby. As soon as
I checked in, I had DH go out and buy me some regular underwear since I had
to stay in bed, in a hospital gown. It was uncomfortable for a while, but
then after the baby was born, I didn't want to put the G's back on. I think once you try it and give it some time, you won't ever want to put those things back on again. It is different though for guys, since the G's aren't that much different then wearing boxer briefs and a T-shirt. Maybe you could transition with these? Maybe even boxer briefs in a different color than white, and a Hanes undershirt. Have you considered the fact that you are wearing Mason underwear? This might help you move on. Look up the mason's on the net and their symbols. Every time you look at your G's look at the mason symbols and then ask yourself why would you want to wear Masonic undies? |
| Subject: | For me, the garments were about the temple covenants. So it was easy. |
| Date: | Nov 23 15:30 |
| Author: | Jenny |
| Once I knew in my head that I was NOT going to keep
one of the temple covenants (Consecration), the garment thing was done.
Wearing the garments was the outward sign I was going to keep the covenants. Once I decided that no matter if GBH himself came to me and knelt on his knees and begged for all my treasure, I wasn't going to give the church another dime, I knew I could take off the garments. It sounds like for you, though, it's not just about not wearing garments, it's about getting and wearing regular undies. Maybe you could just think about it in terms of making the adult decision of deciding what underwear you're going to wear instead of abdicating that choice to a bunch of old men. ? If you're not sure if it's boxers or briefs or boxer brief, get some of each and experiment until you're comfortable. Good luck. It's a complex transition. No one has all the answers and it's always a big step no matter if it's easy or challenging. |
| Subject: | Instead of thinking of it as taking them off... |
| Date: | Nov 23 16:02 |
| Author: | Stray Mutt |
| ...think of it as failing to put them back on. You're naked while bathing, right? So go commando a day or two, then go pretend you're buying underwear for a son -- one that happens to be exactly your size. |
| Subject: | Thanks everyone |
| Date: | Nov 23 16:37 |
| Author: | CDN Mike |
| Thanks for all of your comments, it si good to know
that I am not crazy, and that other shave had the same issues. I appreciate all of the input! |
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